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Writer's pictureBruce Teeter

Green Eggs and Vegan Ham: Challenge Accepted

I possess a piece of neon green solid silicone, shaped like an egg, though larger - maybe the size of an avocado.


One of the sides is flattened so that the green egg can be set on a surface without rolling all over the place.


The "top" of the egg has a slim, rectangular shape cut into the top, just smaller than the width of a cell-phone, if the cell phone were standing on its end.


Then a cavity leads downward, into the egg, makes a turn, and leads to a large opening, like a horn instrument.


The purpose of this neon green silicone egg is for a cell phone to be set into the opening, with the speakers aimed downward into the opening, then the sound would be amplified like a trumpet would do to the air inside it.


It's called a "sound egg". Yep, for real. It even has a little indent so you can run a power cable to the under side without tipping it over.


Why do I have this? I have no idea. It barely works, like placing your phone inside a solo cup in the hopes of making it louder. It's a promotional product I got some time ago and it has a Jim Bean logo printed on the side of it. I've used it maybe twice in the past few years and was disappointed each time.


I'm throwing it away.


 

I started listening to the Minimalists podcast several years ago. I don't much anymore, mainly because I like listening to music more than podcasts, but it probably also had something to do with the fact that I hadn't fully invested in being a "minimalist." Not that I don't think it's a worthy endeavor, but at the time I started listening, I was already kind of minimalist - so I didn't get too caught up in it. After a few years of not paying much attention, I realized they were putting out a new special on Netflix. So, I decided I should hear what they had to say again, and my partner and I watched Less Is Now, the new documentary from the Minimalists.


A lot of us find it daunting to watch documentaries, especially ones that talk about something that we think might hit too close to home. As if the point they're trying to make or the truth they hope to uncover or expose, is simply too much for us to handle. Documentaries are typically made to challenge the status quo, and the status quo is comfortable, so moving outside of that can be hard to accept. Whether it's about food, global challenges, animal cruelty, or buying less stuff - it's hard to hear that the way you currently think might be wrong.


Or at least might need a second look.


Many people who know me know that I watched Cowspiracy back in 2014 and it marked a turning point in my life. I challenged myself to go vegan for 30 days and I felt so good about it that I've kept it going for almost 7 years now. Many people who know me also know that I'm probably more of a "flexitarian" these days. I have essentially decided that I would prefer to eat vegan the majority of the time. My partner occasionally uses butter in cookies and we grate parmesan cheese over our Italian dinners. I won't get upset if I come to your house and you don't have anything vegan prepared and if I'm traveling somewhere I may elect to try their specialty, like eating whale steak in Iceland.


Before I went vegan, though, I was a triple Baconator type of guy. A college hangover breakfast might consist of Waffle House triple hash-browns "all the way" or a Bojangles chicken, egg, and cheese biscuit, or a Cook Out chili-cheese burger. I've eaten all 3 of those meals in one day before.


I was convinced that meat = protein and less carbs = burning more fat. While meat does contain protein and eating fewer carbs is healthy, it's not the only way to live. After I watched Cowspiracy I started learning more and my thinking today is vastly different than it was.


I wasn't sure what to expect of the Minimalists documentary, but the two hosts, Ryan Nicodemus and Joshua Fields Millburn seem like pretty genuine fellas and I like to hear what they say from time to time. How they've made a career out of simply talking and writing about minimalism is beyond me, but kudos to them.


One of the biggest takeaways I had about the film is actually about their lifestyle now, not necessarily about their challenge.


It's very similar to my journey with being vegan - it started out as one thing, but I've developed a way to stick to the core principle while living my own version of it.


 

When people think of minimalism, they likely think of a sparse house or apartment, someone who can fit all of their clothes in one bag, or "minimalist" pieces like furniture with clean lines or watches with no numbers on them. Maybe they even think of trying to live for some minimal amount of dollars per month.


However, Ryan and Joshua made a point to show their living spaces in the documentary and talked about how they don't try to have only a few things or force themselves to live on ramen noodles or anything like that.


They might have started out that way several years ago. Starting over, getting rid of things, setting goals or challenges. But once you reach those goals you figure out what works best for you and you still have the principle that you started with.


When I did my vegan challenge I went to a burger place on the 31st day and gorged myself on a fully-loaded burger and fries. It was delicious and burgers are still that one thing that I tend to crave. Thank goodness for Impossible Burgers!


I still consider myself a vegan, though I will occasionally eat things that aren't vegan. For me, it's about maintaining the core principle of being conscious about what I eat.


The Minimalists are still minimalists, even if their houses have pictures on the wall, more than 2 pieces of furniture, and their closets have more clothes than you might expect. The idea of minimalism isn't about having as little as possible. It's about removing the things that don't add value. They write essays or blogs from time to time; one of the recent essays from Millburn says,

The path to misery is cobbled with addition. The path to peace is uncovered with subtraction.

Toward the end of the film, the Minimalists present a 30-day challenge: get rid of 1 item on the first day, 2 on the 2nd day, 3 on the 3rd, and so forth. If you make it to the end, by the 30th day you'd get rid of 465 items. That's a lot of stuff!


So, sometime last week, my partner decided she wants to try this challenge!


I was very surprised. One would not come into our house and say, "Wow, these people could use a minimalist challenge." We try to be thoughtful about the things we do have or purchase, but it is certainly difficult to be strict when it's so easy to jump on Amazon or run to the store when something is needed. We also both like shoes.


When I first moved to DC in 2016, everything I owned fit into my Hyundai Veloster so I honestly don't know if I have 465 things I could get rid of, but I'll do my best! I believe it counts to get rid of, for example, 10 old pairs of socks or 20 books. What do you need to keep books for? How often do you actually re-read a book?!


Part of the theme of the documentary is that we attach a feeling to things. Books, games, clothes, knick-knacks, picture frames, decor, servingware, water bottles, notebooks, computer cables, old electronics, etc. By attaching your feelings to that thing you make it a burden. It's just a thing. A hunk of plastic or wood or metal or ceramic. The item doesn't have a memory, you have a memory.


So, challenge time.


The first item my partner decided to get rid of was a decorative bowl that she doesn't like. She's kept it for whatever reason - someone gave it to her maybe - but she's freed it of the attachment and it's now one less thing we have to deal with.


Mine will be that stupid green egg.

I'm not advocating for becoming a minimalist - or a vegan, either. But, if you're like a lot of people who are in a similar situation, maybe a little uncomfortable with how you're living or the choices you typically make, then challenge yourself to break the status quo.


I certainly encourage - nay, challenge - you to check out the Less Is Now Netflix special if you haven't already, or just click on over to their website and listen to a podcast or read one of their blogs or essays.


If I can keep this challenge going I'll write a couple of update blogs over the next month - would love to know if you are completing this challenge - or any other!




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jackteeter1945
Jan 25, 2021

I believe I can declare myself to be a minimalist.


The big C caused my diet to be only a soybean-milk formulation and water. I have weighed from 204 to 206 pounds for the past seven or so years.


C caused me to 'retire' at the height of my income potential.


I have outlived the maximum 'insurable age' for two substantial term life insurance policies.


My home was purchased from Craigslist. It is 850 square feet and was built in the 1950's. We have no room to accommodate overnight guests or even room at our table to host dinner for anyone other than ourselves. Our washer & dryer and only table are all crowded into our…

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